Hello, 2013.

Like all the years that came before it, 2012 passed without warning. For me, it was the year of new beginnings. This was the year I explored the corners of my own limitations, the year I mustered up courage to get past everything that was holding me back. Many things happened this year: all of them wonderful, beautiful, devastating, and sad. Looking back at 2012, I could honestly say that it has been a blast; it was a good year. It wasn’t perfect though, of course. It was a ride of ups and downs, forgotten days, and moments you just wish you could take back. But still, it was a better year than what I was expecting out of it. And for that, I am grateful.

Lessons learned this past year:

Success is not easy. It never is. However, if there was something that you really wish to do, if it is something you truly have a passion for, going for it is always worth a try.

Sometimes happiness comes in little packages: in small cracks of light and in small victories.

Inspiration could be found anywhere.

As long as you are alive, there is always hope for things to get better.

Don’t let your mistakes define who you are.

There is beauty in everything: in words, in love, in hope, even in sadness.

Letting people in is not a sign of weakness. Sometimes you just need someone, and if you are lucky enough to have a person who’s willing to help and listen, let them.

Losing yourself is the best way to find yourself.

The year has given me all sorts of epiphanies, most of them about the world (to society's vilifications against one's choices and equal rights to how everyone is different, yet the same) and about my choices in life (to questioning why there was a limit on what I can be to what else is there that I can do to be happy). I've said goodbye to the old to make room for the new and decided to delutter my life of all sorts of negativity. I’ve learned to accept that there are some things in life that you can't control, but you can choose how to deal with them. I don’t know what lies ahead for me in 2013, whether there'd be bigger obstacles or more series of ups and down moments, but I do know that in someway, 2012 has helped me prepare for it. I’d like to think that I’m ending this year with a bang. And I hope it has been a good year for all of you, too.

Here’s to 2013, to fresh starts, to bright beginnings. Happy New Year :)